Ed Sheeran’s Hit Song ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ Meaning Explained
Ranked the most popular singer of 2022 by Daily Music Scroll, Ed Sheeran has had the world singing along since his debut album in 2011. Among his catchiest tracks, “Bibia Be Ye Ye” is filled with the sounds of yipping guitar and foot-tapping rhythms and is absolutely irresistible.
So much so that, despite never having been released as a single, the song rose to number 18 on the UK’s official charts the year of its release. Yet many of Sheeran’s fans likely do not know the language and story behind the pop star’s sleeper hit.
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ is written in Twi
Though the verses of “Bibia Be Ye Ye” are all in English, the song’s catchy chorus is in Twi, a language of Ghana, Africa. The words mean “all will be well”—a theme built into Sheeran’s songwriting throughout the track.
The song begins with Sheeran singing about a string of mishaps like losing his shoes and his keys, getting sick in a cab, and walking in the rain before listeners hear the peppy chorus kick in. Here, Sheeran sings another line in Twi, “Se enioma enko ye” which loosely translates to “if things aren’t working out” (Ed Sheeran Fandom), before the first chorus delivers its hopeful message.
By the second verse, Sheeran writes about his luck turning around—he finds his shoes and keys, takes a bus, and remembers “tomorrow’s a brand new day.” The song ends by repeating more Twi, “Wo nooma be ye ye,” which roughly translates to “your problems will be solved.”
Sheeran wrote the song while in Africa visiting fellow musician and hip-hop artist Fuse ODG and the song would not be the last time the two collaborated.
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ is a song about hope
All of Sheeran’s songs are intricate storytelling journeys crafted by his exquisite songwriting. Looking back over his career, Sheeran has taken his listeners on many a poignant journey, from the heart-wrenching “Supermarket Flowers” to the flirty “Galway Girl” to his experience with substance abuse chronicled in “Bad Habits.” Yet Sheeran’s “Bibia Be Ye Ye” is more of a straightforward, uplifting track.
The video features scenes from life in Ghana, with the native people singing both the English and Twi lyrics. Sheeran is only seen in the video twice, both times with his back to the camera. This choice seems to point to the idea that Sheeran is, as the song suggests, moving on and looking forward instead of dwelling on bumps in the road.
Both the song and its video were well received, with CelebMix applauding “how [Sheeran] incorporated African/Ghanaian culture in his album. It displays diversity among different cultures, and that’s a special and unique thing to see…”
“Bibia Be Ye Ye” is not the only time Ed Sheeran sang in Twi
Sheeran teamed up again with Fuse ODG for the latter’s 2017 song “Boa Me.” Featured on the track singing in fluent Twi, Sheeran impressed Fuse once again, who notes that Sheeran was meticulous in learning the language and insisted on the highest level of authenticity during the project.
“He wanted to make a real authentic High Life track,” Fuse tells Capital FM, “that’s the old-school Afrobeats music my parents would play.” Like “Bibia Be Ye Ye,” the song speaks to hope and community. The song’s title, “Boa Me” means “help me” and focuses on the idea of helping one’s neighbor.
In addition to “Boa Me” and “Bibia Be Ye Ye,” Sheeran also rerecorded his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” in Irish Gaelic in 2015. Most recently, Sheeran learned Yoruba (another African language) to contribute to Fireboy DML’s 2021 track, “Peru.”
Considering this, it is hardly a wonder that Sheeran continues to dominate the charts as he continues to grow in his craft and strive for inclusivity and diversity within his music.
